A dose of sherbet
One meticulous observer of the holy month of Ramzan, was talking to another, equally committed observer but with a penchant for a regular dose of sherbet. Asked the first gent: “how do you manage during Ramzan to reconcile your habit with the prohibition on sherbet?” Said the second, “no problem. There’s always Rose wine” (pronounced Rozay).
Keeping the peace
Many people were surprised to see a meeting of senior Indian and Pakistani khakis a few weeks ago, to discuss prevention of incidents on the Line of Control. Unimaginable during the “India-centric” Canny’s tenure, this move for peace was backed by all three Sharifs, including Bob. But it was The Man of Steel’s bro who went to India and broke the ice. In a meeting in Delhi with Sardar Manmohan Singh, bro spoke in their native Punjabi and warmed the sardar’s heart. He then offered to upgrade the school in Gah, Chakwal (the sardar’s native town) to a degree-awarding college. Sardar Sahab is said to be emotionally attached to the place and it’s been his long-standing desire to visit it. The school was first instituted by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain when he became PM for a short while during the Mush era. Sardar Manmohan Singh was supposed to come to Pakistan in 2006 to inaugurate the school and sign the various peace deals that were on the anvil. But the visit never happened because Mush went into decline, and the rest as they say is history.
But back to the recent meeting between Bro and the Sardar, it was decided on this occasion that senior khakis from both sides would meet to prevent skirmishes on the LoC and keep the peace.
Public & private postures
While publicly The Man of Steel’s government is trying to outkhan The Khan in the matter of “Hate America”, privately it’s a different story. Our mole in DC reports that The Man of Steel’s Dar-ling is constantly in touch with his American interlocutors, asking them to help with enhanced funding from the IMF, a quick release of Coalition Support Funds, help from the World Bank and other measures to help build Pakistan’s plunging foreign reserves. The DC interlocutor smiled cynically and said they expected no better from The Great Khan who’s playing politics at the country’s expense, but that The Man of Steel should be pandering to the same ignorant lobby is “baffling and disappointing”.